10 Best Alternative Rock Songs

The best '90s alternative rock songs still remain relevant today, songs that carry over legions of fully-grown fans who can still remember the first time they heard Eddie Vedder's gravely baritone blast from their radio speakers. As rated by AOL Radio listeners, here are the Top 10 Alternative Rock Songs.

This alternative rock song was a well-regarded critical darling, called by one critic "an integral part of the 1990s alterna-landscape, [one which] remains one of the purest diamonds that sparkle amongst the rough-hewn and rich funk chasms that dominate the Peppers' own oeuvre."

Bassist Robert DeLeo claims the alternative rock song was originally written in bossa nova style until it was played for Scott Weiland, who turned the melody for the song intro into the melody for the chorus.

The music video was inspired by both the film 'Zabriskie Point' and a memory Billy Corgan had of a truck driver who, upon giving up his truck, distributed all his leftover stock to the neighborhood kids.

Eddie Vedder didn't want the song released as a single, claiming that "fragile songs get crushed by the business." In fact, he personally called radio station managers to confirm that Epic hadn't pushed the song as a single for airplay.

Prince covered this alternative rock song in April 2008 at Coachella, but asked that it be removed from YouTube after it was uploaded by a concertgoer. Thom Yorke responded, "Well, tell him to [retract his request]. It's our song."

The song was inspired by Kurt Cobain's friend, Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna, who spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall. Although Cobain mistook it for a grandiose slogan about youthful revolution, Hanna literally meant that Cobain smelled like Teen Spirit, a brand of deodorant.